In the kitchen

One of the benefits of having a family with allergies is having to learn to cook and bake from scratch. I cannot pick up most take out or use a box of something as easily as other families. Most packaged products have soy or dairy or worse do not declare they package in the same factory as a product with an allergen - like peanuts or eggs.

This morning I put chicken in the crock pot with a little water, onions, garlic, pepper and salt. I'll have 1 piece for dinner and the other 2 will become chicken salad tomorrow. I made the boys a meat loaf - DH loves it and I have finally perfected my recipe. I cannot use store bought bread crumbs as they all have soy now so I crush up plain crackers. Sometimes I use bread crumbled up but it's 5 days until pay day and I didn't want to waste the bread.

Some meals are more expensive than others - recipes that call for safflower or coconut oil etc so I have to know where to be cheap. Surprisingly enough I have found a lot of off brand products are better about not having soy protein this or modified food protein that or milk, egg etc in a product that doesn't need it. When did bread need milk or eggs? Know how hard it is to find a store bought bread without soy, dairy, egg, oats or issues with coming into contact with nuts...yeah

I am thinking of investing in a bread machine.

I said this is a benefit because I am getting my family back to real food. Back to basics. Fruit, vegetables, meat, grains the only things really that sounds like a science experiment is the formula and we're glad for it. My husband complains but he gladly eats rice, more veggies and drinks water everyday. That is a huge step when I married him he ate four vegetables regular canned peas, corn, green beans and potatoes most of those came in instant flakes. Not that canned veggies or instant potatoes don't have their place but a baked potato is really awesome isn't it? If you can't do dairy try olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt and dill better yet if the dill is fresh. AMAZING.

Friday Photo Feature

These are my daughter's 'safe' cupcakes. Both my son and my husband came to me separately to remind me to make safe cupcakes for her. He loves his sister and doesn't want her to feel left out. Tomorrow is his fifth birthday and he picked out a cake from the bakery but his sister can't eat regular cake. It fills a momma's heart to know he loves his little sister so much. <3

Banana Bread

I had 2 bananas way past their prime so while dinner was in the oven I whipped up this banana bread to go in the crock pot. I recently got a 6 quart slow cooker so I can now bake my quick breads in a loaf cans I have instead of round baking dishes. The apple and pear puree replaces the egg and milk found in most typically recipes.

2 very ripe bananas mashed
4oz stage 2 pureed pears
4oz unsweetened apple sauce
1\4 cup oil [I used safflower]
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1\2 cup brown sugar
1\2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1\4 teaspoon salt

Mix wet and dry separately. Mix together. Don't worry about lumps. Pour into greased baking dish. You can bake in a crock pot by placing on an overturned bowl. Add some water [1\2inch to the bottom of the crock. Pop on the lid and bake on high for 3-3.5 hours. You'll know it's done same way you tell if it's done from the oven. Your whole house will smell like banana bread, a cake tester or tooth pick will come out clean from the middle. You can also bake in the oven at 350 for about an hour check it and rotate it if your oven typically needs that when baking.

This is about an hour into baking - the batter has doubled. See how the baking dish is sitting on an overturned bowl. I added maybe 1\2 inch of water. It was gone by the time the bread was done 3 hours later.




This was the bread after about 3 hours give or take 10 minutes. It was perfect. It bounced back and pulled away from the sides perfectly.

I'm not a baby

My daughter who's proud to be a 2 year old has declared baby food off limits. I had been slowly but surely using up the last of our baby food and not making new. It's hard through - trying to get food into her diet other ways. She's rejecting acorn squash apple sauce which made me feel so creative at the time. I guess this is life - now she wants big girl food all the time. Can't blame her.

I am going to try sweet potato fries again. I'm trying to find bigger safe noodles - alphabets are hard to scoop up and eat. Maybe I'll find stars or something.

She's doing really well - loves pears, peaches, apples, crackers.

We failed our lamb trial. I was wondering how much we'd be able to add to her diet when it's $6.87 a pound but it would have been nice to have an easy protein. I am thinking of trying Sunflower seed butter - see if that will work since it's a seed not a nut\legume.

In other news my son is five years old in a week! He refuses to have a party and does NOT want presents or anything else which will make him five. So once again I am keeping his birthday low key since he doesn't want a party. We'll see how this goes.